Grilled Caprese Sandwich

Grilled Caprese Sandwich

 

4 slices Bread

4 ounces of thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

2 small tomatoes thinly sliced

8-10 fresh basil leaves

1 avocado thinly sliced

1 tablespoon butter

 

In a large pan melt the butter over medium heat

Place 2 slices of bread in the pan and top with the mozzarella and tomatoes

Place the other 2 slices of bread on top

Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted

Lift the top slices of bread off the sandwiches and layer the basil and avocado on top of the tomatoes

Place the bread slices back on top and serve immediately

 

*Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar can also be added to this sandwich as an option

Jarred Cole Slaw

This Cole Slaw stays crunchy while in the jar. It’s nice to have on hand for a quick side dish or to put on a sandwich.

Cole Slaw

This recipe will give you about 14 pints of Crunchy Cole Slaw

 

8 lb Cabbage will equal about 44 cups, shredded

4 cups Carrots, shredded

2 Cups Red Peppers, shredded

2 Cups Onion, shredded

I mixed all the above into 2 large roasting pans

 

4 cups White Vinegar

1 1/4 cup Water

8 cups Sugar

4 teaspoons Celery Seeds

4 teaspoons Mustard Seeds

Boil for 1 minute then pour onto shredded slaw.  Mix well

 

Ladle mixture into jars leaving 1 inch head space

Remove air bubbles; add more brine to bring it back to 1 inch headspace

Wipe rim real well, apply lid and ring

Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner

After 24 hours have passed, remove rings and wash jars

Label jars with date and store. Do not stack jars.

Enjoy!

Banana Bread

Korbyn had a snow day and took over my kitchen again.  Today he made Banana Bread using my Mom’s recipe.  It came out perfect!

 

My Moms Recipe!

Makes 3 loaves

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

2 cups mashed very ripe bananas, 3-4
2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk

Shift dry ingredients together and set aside

Mash bananas, add lemon juice and set aside

Cream together Butter and Sugars, add eggs

Add dry ingredients alternating with milk

Fold in bananas

Pour into greased pans until half full

Bake 350 for 50-60 minutes

Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of loaf comes out clean

Let pans set for 10 minutes out of oven

Remove bread from pans and cool on wire racks

Let stand overnight before slicing

Enjoy!

Easy Casserole

My daughter calls it Pot Pie with No Crust, I call it Easy Casserole.  Whatever you call it, it’s Comfort Food!

 

Easy Casserole

Serves 6-8

This casserole can be made with any cooked meat you have on hand.

Pictured casserole was made with roasted turkey.

 

20 ounces of cooked diced meat (Chicken, Turkey, Ham, Tuna, Beef)

2 cans cream soup, I used cream of celery for this casserole

1 cup milk

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen carrots

12 ounce bag of wide noodles

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cook noodles a bit firm, according to package directions

Drain and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking

In a large bowl, mix together the meat, soup, milk, peas, carrots and noodles

Spread into a greased 9×13 casserole pan

Cover and bake for 20 minutes

Uncover and top with bread crumbs and shredded cheese

Bake another 10 minutes or until cheese melts

Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken Piccata

 

Lemon Chicken Piccata

 

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast, pounded flat and cut into 1/2-1 inch strips

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 lemon, thinly sliced, peel off pith

1/2 cup lemon juice

4 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced parsley

 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Place a serving platter into the oven to warm.

 

Season the chicken breast pieces with salt and pepper and coat them in flour.

 

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet; pan-fry the chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.  Add oil as needed

 

Place the chicken pieces onto the warmed platter in the oven.

 

When finished with all the chicken, drain most of the oil from the skillet, leaving a thin coating on the surface of the pan.

 

Cook and stir the minced garlic in the skillet until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

 

Pour in the chicken broth, Scrape and dissolve any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.

 

Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to about 8 minutes.

 

Stir in the lemon slices and continue cooking about 5 minutes

 

Add the lemon juice and capers; simmer until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes more.

 

Drop the butter into the skillet and swirl it in the skillet until the butter is melted and incorporated.

 

Add the parsley; remove from heat and set aside.

 

Arrange the chicken on serving plates and spoon sauce over each portion to serve.

 

I served ours with broccoli and rice

 

Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast

Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast

 

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cup chopped/shredded apple

1/4 cup shredded carrot

2 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon Adobo or other seasoning

2 tablespoon Italian-style dried bread crumbs

 

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup apple juice or white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

 

Combine apple, carrots, melted butter, cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, seasoning and bread crumbs

Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness

Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts, and roll up each breast

Secure with toothpicks

Melt butter in a 7 inch skillet over medium heat

Brown stuffed chicken breasts

Add juice or white wine and chicken stock, Cover, Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink

Transfer chicken to a serving platter

Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; stir into juices in pan

Cook and stir until thickened

Pour gravy over chicken, and garnish with parsley. Serve.

I served ours with a side of couscous and carrots

An alternative to serving it is to cut it into slices to show off the filling and pour gravy over top

Pancakes

Pancakes

Recipe makes about 6 servings

 

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons powdered milk

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1 1/2 cup water, add more if needed

2 eggs

3 tablespoons oil

 

Mix well and drop by spoonfuls onto a hot skillet

Watch for the bottoms to get brown and flip to brown the other side

Enjoy!

 

Dry mix can be stored in an airtight container for later use.

Left overs can be frozen for a quick snack.